Ya gotta love Joe Biden... at least, that's what we're constantly told by the media who certainly walk that talk. A couple of Biden stories were in the news today and I thought I'd bring them together.
First up, Mr. Biden, a Catholic we're told time and again, greeted the new Pope this week but it was something he said at a different gathering that grabbed a headlne or two:
Joe Biden doesn't kiss up to anyone — whether a queen or a pope.
The vice president told a gathering of Irish-Americans in New York City on Thursday that as a young
U.S. senator he was to meet the queen of England.
He remembers getting a call from his mother, who told him not to kiss the queen's ring.
Years later, when he was to meet Pope John Paul II, Biden says his mother told him not to kiss the pope's ring.
Biden, a Roman Catholic descended from struggling Irish immigrants, says his dad said it was "all about dignity."
Biden says his mother told him that no one is "better" than him. And while Biden should treat everyone with respect, his mother said her son should also "demand respect.'"
Let's couple that highly dignified Biden tale with this one:
Vice President Biden and his entourage spent a little time in London in early February during his first foreign trip of the second term of the Obama administration. A document released today revealed that the cost of lodging in London alone was close to half a million dollars. The contract was awarded on January 30, 2013 to the Hyatt Regency London for a total of $459,388.65.
And this one:
A government document released on February 14, 2013 shows that the contract for the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand came in at $585,000.50.
...
The Vice President stayed in Paris for one night.
That's a million dollars on two junkets for good ole Joe who's just chock full of dignity.
One more Joe story I think is worthy of touching on tonight:
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife gave an average of $369 a year to charity during the past decade, his tax records show.
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign today released 10 years' worth of tax returns for Biden, a senator from Delaware, and his wife Jill, a community college instructor. The Bidens reported earning $319,853 last year, including $71,000 in royalties for his memoir, Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.
The Bidens reported giving $995 in charitable donations last year — about 0.3% of their income and the highest amount in the past decade. The low was $120 in 1999, about 0.1% of yearly income.
Over the decade, the Bidens reported a total of $3,690 in charitable donations, or 0.2% of their income.
Yea, ya really gotta love ole Joe and all that dignity.
Don't ya?
